Kinda vague title, but I was trying out some of the Atelier games recently and while I do find the crafting interesting, I can’t stand the “slice of life”/CGDCT style they have. Yumia seems to be a bit more interesting but the gameplay is too simple and balancing seems to not take into account the crafting system, which makes it really unsatisfying to play.
Are there any alternatives? SMT/Persona too I feel has similar systems with fusions, but I think I’ve already played enough of the ones I’m interested in. They also lack the crafting of items, which is the main thing I find interesting in the older Atelier.
Arpgs do have a big random factor, but many have some element of crafting to offset it. Sometimes as small as slotting upgrade stuff (ie: gems) into armor, sometimes more involved. I’m pretty sure path of exile 1 had some depth to it, but I never went super hard. It’s one of the only free to play games that isn’t abusive, so it’s pretty low risk to try. I like the second game more, but it’s early access and has less stuff.